The Yahoo Fighter IMVironment, for instance, lets you play an animated version of rock-paper-scissors. Some of the IMVironments, such as the one that puts your typed words inside a 'Dilbert' comic strip, are just cute others turn instant messaging into a kind of interactive playground. You have to rely on your pal to tell you, then you must download it.īut no matter how snazzy they look, IMVironments are window dressing (pun intended), and they're aimed directly at kids - it's no coincidence that they're heavy on popular characters such as Mario, Hello Kitty, Snoopy and Garfield. If you don't have the requested IMVironment, Yahoo doesn't notify you. In order to use an IMVironment, both you and your buddy must use Messenger 5.0 and have the same IMVironment (a request by either puts it up on both parties' screens). Only three IMVironments come bundled with Messenger you must download the other 15 separately from Yahoo's site. Messenger's new IMVironments range from the generic, such as a fish tank, to branded images from the movie Monsters, Inc., the rock band Garbage and even Nintendo's Super Smash Bros Melee video game. Messenger 5.0 eats 3.4MB of RAM - about the same amount that AOL's client does.Īlthough Yahoo's main window is pretty plain, the program has gone to great pains to spice up its chat interface. You'll have to give up a bit more memory than before, too. Although former Messenger versions come in flavours for both of those OSs, version 5.0 is exclusively for Windows. You'll find hundreds of additional skins for download at sites such as Theme Depot. Simply apply a skin to change Yahoo's background image, toolbar and status icons (ICQ and Trillian can also do this). If you're put off by Yahoo's sterile interface, give the program a face-lift. For instance, it took us a long time to dig through the help file to figure out how to delete a group. In general, we found Yahoo much easier to operate than ICQ (with its lengthy, detailed menus), but some tasks are still a real pain. You can also set Messenger to display only those buddies who are currently online (to trim the list if you have a lot of IM contacts) and to locate friends to add to your buddy list with a simple search tool. For example, Messenger still lets you organize your pals into groups in order to send several members the same message. Otherwise, prepare yourself for more of the same old stuff. But we did notice a few distinctive new touches in 5.0, especially the tiny icons that sit beside each buddy's name to show his or her status, such as 'I'm available' or 'Out to lunch'. Messenger's main display is as stark as it's always been. Choose this IM if you don't need the chameleonlike qualities of the multiservice Trillian. If you want smooth-as-silk video chat, only Windows Messenger, the IM bundled with Windows XP tops Yahoo. Yahoo Messenger is easier to use than ICQ, includes more sophisticated features (such as video chat) than AOL Instant Messenger, and tops MSN Messenger by virtue of its built-in video. Although its new IMVironments - Yahoo's cheesy name for themed interfaces - are nothing more than a marketing gimmick, this IM client remains solid where it counts: underneath. Don't hold Yahoo Messenger's face against it.
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